This invention relates generally to compositions and methods for laundering of clothing and fabrics, and more specifically relates to an improved composition for pre-spotting of clothes and fabrics which are to be thereafter subjected to conventional laundering or dry cleaning.
In the normal course of effecting household machine laundering of clothes and other textiles, stains, spots and heavily soiled areas of various composition are found to present a particular problem to effective laundering, in that they are frequently not removed during the typical laundry cycle, even when extra quantities of detergent and/or additional cleaning boosters such as bleach are employed.
Such stains can be better removed if the articles in question are soaked in a solution of detergent or a solution of a product specifically formulated for this purpose for between 30 minutes and 48 hours. This procedure, known as "pre-soaking", is effective but requires additional time and effort on the part of the launderer. In addition, the vessel most conveniently employed in pre-soaking is the washing machine, and while it is being used for pre-soaking, it cannot be used for its intended primary purpose. In consequence, washing schedules must be adjusted to accommodate the pre-soaking period or the pre-soaking period may be shortened as a result of the washing schedule to a point where the desired result, the removal of stains, spots and soils is not achieved. For these reasons, pre-soaking as a laundry operation is not frequently employed.
To fill this obvious need for an easier way to remove stubborn stains, spots and soils, products known as "pre-spotters" have been developed and marketed with significant success. These so-called pre-spotters are applied to hard-to-clean soiled and stained areas of clothing by the launderer just prior to washing the clothing in the washing machine. Because, however, of the short time in which the pre-spotter is in contact with the stain, typically one to several minutes, these products must necessarily contain strong solvents and harsh surfactants. Typical formulations contain petroleum distillates and ethoxylated alcohols and/or ethoxylated nonyls. Because of their composition, they are inherently hazardous products--indeed although it is not widely appreciated, many of these products under certain conditions can actually flame or feed a flame source. But even in their intended mode of use, the harsh components may cause clothing damage through color removal, especially if the time between application and washing is significantly longer than a few minutes. These products also require a careful examination of the clothes to be laundered to search for stained and soiled areas requiring pre-treatment.
If one more generally considers the problem presented by clothing staining, it will be appreciated that in very many instances, the degree of staining is compounded by the fact that the stains are indeed not normally subjectable to prompt treatment, except by the most elementary and ineffective procedures. For example, where a spillage of staining food or other materials occurs during dining, either in a restaurant or at home, the most common treatment is to apply water onto the spot, or a relatively ineffective home remedy is used such as carbonated water. While these forms of "first aid" may have some psychological value in relieving anxiety on the part of the wearer, they afford little real treatment for the stain condition, except that by adding moisture they may somewhat serve to delay setting of the stain.
In accordance with the foregoing, it may be regarded as an object of the present invention, to provide a composition for laundry pre-spotting, which is safe and effective in use, which is easily and conveniently practiced by household members, and which inherently utilizes delay between treatment and laundering or dry cleaning, to augment the effectiveness of the treatment.
It is a further object of the invention, to provide a composition for use in laundry pre-spotting which is completely safe and non-toxic, and which safely enables an extended period during which the said composition may effectively interact with the area being treated before the garment or the like is subjected to formal laundering or dry cleaning.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a composition as aforementioned, which lends itself to effective use in the normal household environment, and the use of which can be initiated with equal effectiveness at a locale where garment spotting may occur, thereby to initiate the benefits of the invention immediately incident upon creation of the stain, e.g. at a restaurant, at a picnic, or so forth.